Linking values to actions for wild pollinator conservation: perspectives in Europe

Pollinator declines challenge societal values and priorities in Europe. This study captures how such values intersect with policy preferences. We examine diverse perspectives of key stakeholder groups from business, policy, research and NGOs in Europe to investigate the underlying value systems and motivations that can drive pollinator conservation actions. The identified perspectives reveal variation in how individuals understand pollinators, their perception on pollinator values and how they conceptualise (ir)relevant pollinator conservation responses. This offers a more nuanced understanding of the sociocultural drivers of biodiversity management. While all perspectives acknowledged the importance of pollinator conservation to some extent, they diverge in the values they prioritize and the actions they support. Perspectives on actions differed in how they conceptualised the role of governance and authority — ranging from moral obligations to protect all species, to instrumental arguments for maintaining pollination functions. Correlations between different perspectives on values and actions show distinct patterns. Those with relationship-centred values (focused on balancing social needs) tended to prefer top-down regulations. Nature-centred intrinsic values (focused on ethical considerations) supported both alternative technical solutions and bottom-up awareness efforts. A perspective emphasizing all-species equality favoured topdown regulations and opposed horizontal coordination and collaboration. In contrast, those with human-centred values (highlighting the benefits of pollinators for food production and ecosystem services) preferred non-intervention and supported horizontal collaboration. Discussion highlights implications for the design, legitimacy, and transformative potential of conservation initiatives.